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CNN’s Tapper: ‘I Don’t Know’ Is NOT Journalism



On “Day 9″ of the Ferguson, Missouri protests, CNN’s Jake Tapper took to the streets and showed the world he doesn’t fully know the rules of his profession and his channel CNN is clearly driving an agenda.

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Journalism should be one of the most boring professions possible: just relay what happened. It should NEVER be why many join the profession: “to make a difference”. If a so-called journalist starts off a sentence with “I’m not sure” or “I’ve been told” (without naming a source) or “I think…”, he or she is not being a professional. There is a clear difference between “journalism” and “commentary” and opinion should be clearly labeled as such. Adding music to manipulate a preferred emotion falls clearly into the “commentary” or “opinion” column, and not identifying opinion is clearly journalistic malpractice. Knowledge of all facets of a story should be a given for any reporter worthy of a press credential. If you don’t know the difference between earplugs and rubber bullets, you shouldn’t be reporting on law enforcement’s response to a potential riot scenario. A professional journalist should not report anything that can’t be 100% confirmed. Mr. Tapper, from his vantage point, couldn’t possibly know all that was going on around him, so to say there was “nothing going on on this street right now” was speculation and real reporters don’t confuse speculation with news.
But there is nothing going on on this street right now that merits this scene out of Bagram. Nothing.
Not that he sees or hears. News reports of that evening disputes Tapper’s emotional speculation. And leading a story, especially one as important as the Michael Brown-shooting aftermath, should be criminal because words can drive some members of the public into unnecessary frenzies that could result in property loss, possible injury and/or loss of life. Let’s hope Jake Tapper and CNN consider human life worth more than a potential Emmy.

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Bob Parks -- Bio and Archives

Bob Parks is a is a member/writer of the National Advisory Council of Project 21. Bob’s websites are Black & Right and youtube.com/BlackAndRight


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